#such a silly thing to be sad about when i'm literally losing the love of my life

[postcardsfromheapside]

Lol, friends if you weren't there for the Astarion discourse, I am so happy for you.

People were most often upset over the idea of being poly with Halsin, because they wanted and did project onto Astarion that he is unable to say no to Tav for fear of losing them (not only is he perfectly genuine about having an open relationship, but by Act 3 he is fully capable of saying no, even if he's just being a silly shit about something and doesn't actually mean it). The conversations about how “I would never cheat on him!” (ethical non-monogamy is not cheating) bleeding into “he doesn't actually like sex!” (not really relevant to the ENM, and certainly something we can discuss, but seems like you're upset at the idea HE might want another partner) were ridiculous and turned dramatic.

On a spawnstarion route, there's also a dialogue route in the graveyard scene I think where you can discuss the possibility of things changing (implying your relationship) and he expresses he's no longer scared by the possibility. He would probably be sad if it did, but he no longer feels dependent on anyone, so he's no longer scared of what life has to hold. Y'all when I tell you I saw people lose their minds over this - they didn't want to think about Astarion independent and not needing them, not needing their blood, not needing their magical genitalia, their “love” to make him feel whole. I saw so many posts about how they can never not romance him because how can they leave him lonely, despite the fact that his unromanced spawn conversations in the epilogue is one of the most healing and powerful sequences I've ever been through. He literally fixes himself. He makes himself happy, despite having severe limitations on his living experience. He becomes a *hero*. All on his own. And they can't stand it.

Astarion is the perfect vehicle for folks to lay the fantasy of a codependent relationship over, just as Lucanis is the perfect fantasy for them to “fix” an actually very nice guy who arrives with a “bad boy twin” with whom they can pretend to have a threesome.

I'm not against people working their fantasies or issues out through video games at all, I only get irritated when those things become externalized in the form of racism, misogyny, queerphobia, etc, which we see a lot in how people express their feelings about other characters, or how they frequently pattern their feelings onto the VA's.

If you feel the need to hide a pixel man away from a pixel woman, when both are programmed not to get together if you lock in the relationship with either one, at that point you actually need to get help. But more generally, feeling jealous because someone you are interested in has a life and friends and even crushes outside of “you” is something you should talk about with a qualified professional.

[sneeb-canons]

Headcanon #1000

[ v ALL BY @0ne-eyed-ghost !!!!!!! GO FOLLOW THEM NOW!!! v ]

Oho you really shouldn't've asked me for headcanons you fool ?

You absolutely silly soul? Pointing at you?

LOUD CRACKING OF MY HANDS.

Happy 1000 posts :]

1-2 FOR EACH OF THEM!!!! BECAUSE I'M SANE I PROMMYY!!!

Heart; TW; self harm urges; trauma related shit!!! eyes gone MISSING!!!

Heart often just. Remembers he doesn't . Have his eyes. They are gone, not even there !!!! And will reach up to try and feel them ??? Often leads into panic attack related scratching and itching, which just further irritates his already sensitive and healing scars- Often Mind or Soul will hear the frantic flapping and grab some kitchen mittens and shove them on his hands/claws, just to protect him from his own tendencies- Usually ends with one of them either talking him down or just . Physically holding him down until he comes back around. I think about this often like a normal person ?

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This ones fine :] Bird moment.. I own 3 birds IRL and have a fixation bully me for it

Heart I think CAN fly if he so desired, but . He's so shit at taking care of his own wings………. Fun fact; Birds have this stuff called pin feathers and sheaths on those baby feathers that protect them as they come out, but !!! Those sheaths hurt a loottt of bumped!!!! Also dampen the ability to fly since. It's just a thick blob of sheath stuff with a feather in the center that's not like. Out of the casing yet :]

EITHER WAY. The few days when it's like. Shower day. Heart doesn't quite like those days because of these pin feathers, so Soul and Mind typically have to 1; restrain him; and 2; clean off the idiots feathers for him so he's no longer in PAIN from getting clean, but he sure swears like. The whole time they have to do this. Big grouch.

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Perfectionism at its finest methinks………….

Mind probably sounds the most like whole?

In his normal voice that is! I like to think he's the most. Anxious over-practicing one just to be SEEN as perfect; he wants to be the best and never be anything less. Just. Singing too much can literally harm your voice and permanently strain your vocal cords, making your voice sound VERY hoarse or even hurts to speak!!!!!!! Methinks Mind did this 1 too many times and ended up Losing his ability to speak / Sing normally, so he had to get the ol' voice bank throat filter which stabilizes his throat enough to speak and to sing, he just no longer sounds like whole [WHICH; REALLY PISSES HIM OFF HE WAS SO PROUD OF BEING THE MOST SIMILAR VOICE WISE]

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JOURNALING IS NEVER SOMETHING I'VE MANAGED TO KEEP UP WITH IT'S HARDDDD SHOUT OUT TO THE MIND [You know who You are.]

Mind often takes his time staying up later writing down notes and things; Sort of like journal logs? Small things that bothered the other two, what to avoid, what to do more; Just to . Try. and get them closer to their goal of being together as one

It usually also contains like; small things they laughed at, small things he notices the two of them do when they're anxious, sad, frustrated- small body ques to remember to notice and ask about. He's not Very Good at verbally supporting people but he sure does his best to do things in small ways to make things more comfortable, like making probably very tiny snacks from time to time when Heart's in a funk, grabbing blankets whenever he finds Soul sleeping somewhere uncomfortable, Sorting stuff for the two of them, Doing laundry… Just basic housework but things the other two Definitely would Not do…

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I think about Darrell often I think he's the most lore giv- I'LL STOP I'LL STOP I LOVE AND LIVE FOR BIRDS

Soul !!!!!!

He feels the most comfortable and like he can breathe when he's out and about around other wild animals, he loves to be able to care after smaller things- Things that can't cause as many fights, and secretly thinks if he can master doing this surely he can master wrangling the other two together into this whole "Let's become Whole" Ideal! Which is why he has owned Multiple animals!!!!! Darrell is just the one that has stuck around the most, and the one he's become the most emotionally attached to- I'm sure if you watched him long enough he kisses Darrell to bed every night and tucks him in :-] WHICH I like to think he'd also be very strict with Darrell? Like an overly protective Father of his only child. It's funny to me

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I've never been good at like. Thinking about what soul enjoys doing but when I do think I write like 10million things

I like to think he goes stargazing often, likes just. Being outside. More than inside the house. Which is why he comes home so late so often and isn't around for whenever the other two get into small banters, HE'S OUT WATCHING THE SKY!!!

He watches the star patterns a lot and enjoys charting all the different changes and new stars he finds every night during the different seasons, especially enjoys showing them off to Mind who enjoys cataloging new info and keeping it stored safe and sound..

I also like to think he talks to himself quite a lot, pep talks himself about stuff-

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He's always trying to sound like he's got everything all figured out but Quite clearly has No idea whatsoever what would help. He usually panics and goes to his default of "Violence would totally Solve this problem!"

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SMALL VIOLENCE IDEA FROM JUST WRITING THE SENTENCE ABOVE YAHOO

Being the Trident owner means he Can physically inflict harm and wounds to them that Will last and Don't go away; Whichh is why the other two react so badly to whenever it's pulled out or around inside the house- Heart can especially tell if it's nearby just by the sound and smell of the metal alone

TECHNICALLY LIKE 3-4 FOR SOUL BUT THAT'S BECAUSE I HAVE NO SELF CONTROL

[nonborderlinary]

i'm sad dude

[revelboo]

You really write really good stories ✨👌.although I'm already quite addicted to it lol, I literally go offline for 3 days for work and when I come back to read in 10 minutes I've already read everything🫠. btw the "everything will be okay" plot is really good and I'm WILD with Earthspark stories (it became my favorite series and there are almost no Earthspark stories🤧)

I’m just having fun writing my nonsense

Give Up/Give In Pt 13

TF Earthspark Megatron x Reader

• They’re trying to help. He knows it. Appreciates it. Even if he wants to growl. Just wanting a peaceful meal with you, a chance to sit and talk alone. Not realizing Dorothy and the kids would try to help. Alex had cooked for him, and Hashtag and Twitch had found an enormous plaid blanket to spread out under the tree in the yard. Jawbreaker and the others had found old holiday decorations and bit of broken glass and strung them up in the branches so the sun dapples the grass and blanket in a kaleidoscope of blues and greens. As much as he appreciates the effort, none of it was by his hand for you and it bothers him. You, though? You’re smiling as you tip your head back to look at the tree. “Is this alright?” He asks.

• “It’s gorgeous.” And it is, the kids working to help Megatron spreading warm through you. Even if you’d heard Hashtag whisper something about ‘Team Romance’ to Twitch. The two seeming to not understand that you’re a human and Megatron is, well, Megatron. Completely incompatible, but it is sweet. “I love it.” Easing down on the blanket, you watch Megatron lower himself across from you, still towering over you as he leans his arms on his knees.

• Nudging the tiny basket of food closer to you, he reaches for an energon cube while you make a plate. Wishes he could mass shift, but it’s too risky with Starscream and the other Seekers at large. Can’t leave himself and you vulnerable. “What else do you love?” Your little face tips up, expressive face surprised by the question and he likes that you’re so easy to read, that he doesn’t have to wonder about your motives. “Tell me,” he adds gently, trying to not demand, but he wants to know everything about you. Who you are. What you like.

• Shoulders lifting in a shrug, you push your food around on your plate. “Not much to tell. Honestly, I just work and go home. Pretty boring.” And sad now that you think about it. No real personal life. A job you don’t care for, but can’t quit because there’s so few prospects in a small town. Too scared to try for a bigger city, so you’d gotten stuck. Still are.

• Venting, he reaches to tip your chin up. Making you meet his optics. “What do you like to do? What dreams keep you going?” He asks, voice taking on a wistful edge. Because dreams seldom go the way planned. His dreams of a better world, of freedom had led to a war that had ravaged his home. Reaching up to touch his servo, you offer him a smile.

• “I played violin as a kid. Wasn’t great at it, but I had fun,” you admit, eyes closing. “I used to dream I could be great. That I could play and people would care.” It sounds so silly. You hadn’t wanted to be rich or famous, just wanted to play well enough the music would make people feel something real. “I doubt i even remember how to play anymore.” Laughing softly, you gently push his servo away.

• “You’ll play for me.” It’s not a request, it’s a demand, but you still smile for him. Wants to hear you play, to lose yourself in something that makes you happy. Desperately wants to see you happy and relaxed. Spark warming when you tell him okay. And you take turns sharing things. He sketches out the war and his mistakes in the broadest strokes he can, not wanting you to know just how awful he is. But needing you to know that side of him is there. Listens to you talk about your family in return, offering him little glimpses of who you are. It’s dark by the time he remembers his deal. That he’d promised to take you home. That home isn’t with him.

• “Are you ready to go?” Heart speeding as he plants a palm on the ground and stands, you want to say no. To ask to stay. To take up even more of his time, all of it he’ll allow. You like talking to him, listening to that rumbling voice. Like the warmth of his big servos when he touches your arm or cheek. Like him. But know this can’t go anywhere, that eventually he’ll get tired of your clinging, so you make yourself nod and smile like you’re okay when you’re not.

• Transforming and dropping his ramp, he can feel you walk inside his alt mode. A little hand brushing a wall as you look around his cargo hold and he feels when you hesitate. Making him remember that he’s not had time to clean up, that your blood is still there. “It’s alright,” he says softly, closing his ramp. “You’re safe here.” And you move through him lingering just inside the cockpit while he waits on you to find somewhere to settle. “Sit anywhere.”

• “Sorry,” you murmur, slipping into one of the pilot seats. Because it’s still weird that he’s this giant aircraft now and that you can just walk around inside him. Can he see you or is he just feeling you moving around? Isn’t that weird to him? Sinking into the seat, you look at all the dials and controls and feel a momentary twist of the surreal. Because this is still Megatron. Different, but still him. When the rotors start up, you touch the harness wondering if you need to strap in.

• “You’re shaking, little one.” He can feel you trembling as your little fingers ghost over his harness, touching the yoke when he shifts it. Nervous and wide eyed. “Are you sure this is what you want?” To go home instead of staying with him? Safe where he can watch over you? And your fingers grip his harness. Hates that you’re so frightened right now, because this isn’t a threat he can destroy or attack.

• No. It’s not what you want at all. Frozen, you want to be greedy. To not go back to the real world. To steal a little more time. Listen to him and ask him questions, because what you’ve seen so far doesn’t mesh up with the stories you’ve heard. He’s not a monster, not cruel or vicious. He’s gentler than you’d expected. “I want to stay,” you whisper, the words so soft there’s no way he can hear them over the sound of his rotors, but they slow and stop. Hear him rumble around you. “I want to stay with you.”

Previous

Constructicons: Some assembly required. Can I just ride around in Scavenger’s scoop?

[caprart1]

Since I always post about Sephiroth, I want to dedicate a minute to talk about my favorite ff7 girl ever

Elena

It baffles me how criminally underrated she is when she is literally THE girlfailure wife ever

Like, first, she is just so pretty obviously, as every final fantasy girl ever is, and as a Turk she's always so dapper in that little suit prrrrrrrrr. But I love her because she is so confident that she can kick ass, and she does! Not against Cloud but still. But that whole persona is so fragile and just CRUMBLES when she loses to him

And like yeah I get it, she's new and inexperienced so she has more to prove, but she was still so smug even after her defeat, like she still won

But my girl was DYING in Junon

Don't mind the filter and frame, I thought it was fitting but look at her!! She's actually the biggest sopping wet cat ever. "Leave me alone, I'm too busy being sad" coupled with the head on table and margarita?! She is the model of all sad sore losers, the patron goddess of shattered egos

Rude was having a ball with his bald heads society thing and my gal was so depressed wondering what the rest of the baddest bitches club thinks of her

She's so pathetic, I want her so bad. I want to kiss her so silly. I love you forever Elena of the Turks

[leafryoworks]

I'm going to tell you what your favourite character in the amazing digital carnival says about you .

Please note that this isn't serious and I'm just want this to be silly . I might overdone in a few segments . Carnival au belongs to @sm-baby .

Caine : Autistic creature . You're probably afraid of being underachieved by people younger than you and you try so hard to not let it show . You tend to crave company but your differences also make you a tad left out by others . Still you got a special skill that you're sure only you have ! ...right ? Don't worry because while it may seem dark right know , the sun will come up and maybe the friends you need will come and find you .

Pomni : The most girlfailure . You tend to try to have your sh-uhm , responsibilities and thoughts pulled together to be a functioning adult but not all things probably pulled off succesfully . Still it's the thought that matters and the worst thing you could do is not try at all . Do that thing you wanted , you never know what might happen .

Queenie : You got underlying mommy issues . She gives you the classic wine aunt you never get to experience . There are things that you couldn't control , you might say it collars you down to your place . But...remember the loved ones by your side . They may not be able to offer the freedom you seek and...they may not be the best people they are right know but the worst thing you could do is abandon the ones that cared about you .

Kinger : Silly and a bit kooky . Trauma changes who you are and there are moments you're not at the best headspace . You probably seek entertainment to lose your sense of reality and not face the sadness and tragedy knowing it would rock your world in the worst case . You need someone to hold your hand , to give you company...eventhough you know subconciously that it's not real .

Jax : The artist who lost his motivation . You're a bit curious on how things tend to work and likes seeing the colour red on paper . The reason I only draw something so violent on paper was to let my anger out and you know what I'm trying to say connecting to this segment . And yet we all know that anger is just overwhelming sadness that you don't know how to let out . We all got problems and things that aren't aligned with others regarding in coping mechanisms . And yet...eventhough you might say you don't need them , who are you lying to ?

Ragatha : Mommy issues ! Abandoment issues ! You can't florish under pressure and negativety or else your heart will ached and cause you to not breathe . That's why you try to make things more easier for others so when they're happy , you're happy . If they're sad , you're sad . Literally . You hold on to your beliefs because no way you're wrong eventhough the evidence is right infront of you ! You live to serve for others because if you have no worth , why...did they kept you around ?...sorry , I got overprojecting , hah . The least you could do is actually let people have their say eventhough it's sad . Bottled up emotions are not healthy and might ruin you and the people you care in a long run . There are things you gotta accept eventhough it might go against on your beliefs . You can't control things in a happy get going situation , this ain't a tv show you can script 24/7 .

Gangle : Maladaptive dreamer . You don't know what's real and what's not fake . The people , the friends you make , are they real ? Your family even ? It's blurry as you toed the line and you find it hard to believe that they are real people you interact with eventhough you know it's true . Sometimes you could be doing work and panicked realizing you're in the real world and not in the world you made up in your head . You rather live your live in ecstasy while dreading the reality that awaits you outside . But enough of that , you got your blorbos in your head to keep your company because they're real ! ...but in your head or is there more...?

Zooble : The cool protector . You tend to protect those who are high up in your list and would be the one nodding your head sagely as your bestfriend rambles about their crush . You care about people just not overcaring to Ragatha's extent . People think you're cool and you probably are . And there are things , secrets that you have to hide of a friend from your other friends because...you know it's the best for their situation . Somethings have to be kept under high security for the best of your friends . You know it's for their best of them and you have to carry the burden to keep the people you care safe . That's your job .

Able : Charmer . You worked so hard to learn and understand your loved one's interests and going as far to be an expert on it . Surely when you are a master of it then you guys can talk and hang out more . What's wrong with that ? You just want to understand them a bit more closer but if that's not working then there must be something wrong . Maybe you're not trying enough so you would try harder . Time to hit the books ! There's nothing wrong with you , don't let the voices in your head fool you !

Bubble : He's so silly ! He reminds you of a pet you wanna pampare and put in a play pen .

Kaufmo : You chose the funniest guy in the cast , huh ? Excellent choice . You like jokes , bad ones even told by others because it means they have thought of cheering people up and that really touched your heart . You tend to be silenced eventhough you are right and yet sometimes they don't wanna listen . The other half is that they do listen , they just don't care . Eventhough the world may not look at it's prime for a moment , you knew you have to keep trying to make the best of it eventhough your attempts may not succeed . But it's better trying than not even trying at all , right ?

Alright people , that's a wrap ! Sorry if it may offend some of you so just letting you guys know it's not 100% accurate , okay ? Okay .

[averytirednerd]

About Episodes 7 and 8...MASSIVE SPOILERS!!

Initial thoughts (because if I talk about EVERYTHING right now you'll be here for at least half an hour)...

WHAT THE HELL?!

I mean I loved getting to watch the season finale, don't get me wrong. But I have just as many grievances as things I loved about it and also SO MUCH happened?!?!?!

Charlie: Loved getting to see her be all demon-y, I've been waiting all season. Also loved her and the cannibals (especially Rosie!!!). So glad she got to work w/ Luci to protect the hotel <333 She and Vaggie are adorable too.

Vaggie: I really enjoyed watching her and Carmilla's song, that was cool. Protecting her girlfriend, very cute. I liked seeing her and Lute have that little face-off.

Husk: Sad that we didn't get to see much of him, but I get it. His interactions with the others were sweet (especially Angel). I loved the one line he got to sing on his own in that last song of episode 8. 😍

Angel: Ngl I am very glad he wasn't the one to die. It would've been a fun little "oh crap" moment but I really didn't want to be right. He's still got business down there. His interactions with the others here are everything to me, and he's just grown so much and aaaaaa. It's lovely to see! I love him more and more with every episode.

Niffty: YOU GO, GIRL!!!! Love to see the stabbing. I also really loved the...one line Nifty got. Kimiko Glenn's voice is a gift, I freaked out over getting to hear one line. Anyway. not much else to say other than I definitely thought it was Alastor doing a big "oh look, I'm alive!" thing when Adam got stabbed, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Cherri Bomb/Sir P: I was surprised, to say the least, when Cherri and Sir P had that little moment. Glad they got it before he went and DIED. Cherri is such a good friend to Angel and she's great. Now, onto Sir P...WOW, OKAY. Glad we know Charlie's plan isn't completely stupid. Wonder how Sera's gonna react to him being there now, lol.

The Vees: FIRST OFF, VOX?????? "This is better than sex!" 💀💀💀 Truly was not expecting to see as much of the Vees as we did. Not complaining though. It was...interesting...to say the least, watching Vox get as excited as he did over the prospect of Al dying (still as obsessed as ever, fr). Not at all surprised to see Val and Vox have a thing going, I figured from the interactions we've seen so far. Them dancing together was silly, them practically making out was less so 😃. Also, gotta continue the love for Velvette--putting up with these two idiots must take a lot. Also also, her HAIR! HER HAIR!! EEEEE

Lucifer: I reallllyyyyyy enjoyed seeing Luci make a return to help Charlie, even if it was in one of those "last-minute saves" that I usually hate. Idk, makes sense here I guess because he's probably always watching over Charlie some way. ALSO LUCI AND CHARLIE GOING ALL DEMON-Y TOGETHER WAS <33333333 I really loved him starting off that last song in episode 8, and telling Charlie that he believes in her. It was so sweet. I love Luci sm, hoping he becomes a more integral part of the crew in s2.

Adam/Lute/Lilith: HAHA HOW DOES IT FEEL TO LOSE??? Lute got what she deserved with the whole...arm thing. ALSO WHAT--JUST GONNA CASUALLY DROP LILITH IN HERE NOW? Sure, fine, whatever, totally cool. Not sure how to feel about Lilith atm so moving on. I dunno why I was so shocked upon seeing Adam's face. I guess I expected him to...not look as good as he does? Also so upset that he broke Al's staff. How rude. He sucks.

Rosie: Not how I expected her to sound, but I'm most certainly not disappointed. I don't have much to say other than I loved literally everything about her. No complaints--at least not yet ig, need to go back and rewatch the episodes critically. Her and Alastor is everything to me, and seeing them dance was <333333 I cannot express my excitement over it enough.

Alastor: Saved him for last because yes. If I wasn't limiting myself to a short paragraph for each, I'd be writing a whole essay just about Al, I swear....CANNOT believe what just happened omg. Not only did we get to see silly Al in episode 7, but we got to see scary (and scared) Al in episode 8. He's really freaking out, it's so entertaining! I'm so glad it wasn't him who died, I started getting a bit worried for a minute there....His relationship with Rosie is aaaaa, best of besties fr. Fighting Adam scene was glorious. Making Vox act like an idiot even when not trying was funny to watch (Vox's obsession with this guy is so silly). Him retreating sure was a move, but I'm glad he didn't get all stubborn and end up dying. Him ranting a bit in his section of the final song was so...AAAAAAA. Man is so scared, he looks stressed as can be. I need to see Alastor just have an external breakdown because he honestly feels like he's on the verge of one. 💀

Stopping for now before I go on a bigger rant than I already have. To those who read all this, I'm so sorry pfft. Feel free to leave a comment if there's something you wanna discuss (or, better yet, send one of those ask thingies. I do not have comments figured out yet...)

Anyway, have a good one <3

[impactrueno]

I saw your twt about holding back on telling stories with serious and deep tones and it reminded me of an issue I had a while back. Im a south park fan and I loved reading deep analysis of the characters. and south park being south park, people dont take it seriously and think its just funny so it doesnt deserve deep analysis like other forms of media. I always came across comments saying "its not that deep" or "doing all of that for south park" and I used to hate that so much because why are you commenting that under the authors post? In media there is like a "spectrum" of how deep you are in it as a fan, and it doesn't make you less of a fan if you like to binge watch the show when you feel like it because its funny. Someone who makes fan fiction and psychoanalyses the characters doesnt make them a better fan than you. I hate "it's not deep" because it is that deep to me, I enjoy it, but it dismisses critical thinking and discourages deep discussions about our interests. I want to learn more about the turning point for eric cartman and the friendship dynamics between the main 4. I want to read psychoanalysis of the characters and understand why they do the things they do. I loved reading fan fics with an author that understood how the characters work and put them in situations while making it believable. Whether the content was deep and serious or lighthearted and silly. I don't see those as cringe at all. What I see as cringe is trying to downplay someones time and effort. you dont care for it. cool, just dont make it our problem.

I believe in recent years, this cringe and its not that deep mentality is linked to media literacy/reading comprehension issues. On top of the fact, that fandoms right now has been "normalized", so alot of mean and rude kids and adults are in this space not having a mature and respectful conversation and discussions, as well as zero fandom etiquette. (I understand the past wasnt this magical respectful place but this behaviour has increased compared to past years).

Please don't worry about making deep content, its super fun and there will be fans of what you write/draw that will definitely be into it.

GOSH anon you are absolutely right. cringe culture has done some serious damage to people's creativity and freedom of expression. doing things in earnest is now cringe to so many people (specifically that 18-21 age where they think they're better than everyone else and everything is cringe to them, image is everything) and they actually give you shit for it?? it's crazy. the most harmless thing in the world. whenever my hey arnold comics would leave my target audience on instagram i would get the meanest comments for no fucking reason, because i was taking hey arnold "seriously" (nevermind that hey arnold is probably the nicktoon with the most emotional depth and moments besides ginger but i digress) but hey at least i'm not the one losing my marbles over some random cartoon comic on the internet.

i think rudeness in general has been too normalized not just in fandom, but in social media in general. it's sad. the only thing you can do about it is be kind as much as you can to counterbalance it. i'd like to think that rubs off on people just like how being rude rubbed off on them.

i said that thing about holding back because i'm admittedly too hard on myself sometimes. no one is calling me cringe or making fun of me for what i do, thankfully, people have been super cool and supportive. and it means a lot to me because i'm very earnest about everything i create, even when i try to hold back. i literally cannot help being myself. it's all i know how to do. i'm just glad i was able to grow a platform where i'm free to be openly passionate about the things i like, talk about them and why i like them, the little things that i find fascinating, the emotions they make me feel, all of that shit is awesome and i wish more people did that.

[parkermunson]

Siren!Eddie Part 4

1 / 2 / 3

summary: After your 'meeting' with a creature only mentioned in stories, you've convinced yourself you've lost your mind. But days later, and no sign of your mysterious beach friend, the creature comes back. Both your and his curiosity are peaked, until it's interrupted.

t/w: he's a literal siren so mentions of eating people, blood, [healed] wounds, eddie's tail gets punctured, human/siren curiosity, siren!eddie is overprotective of his human friend >:l

a/n: Ahhhh!!! The long awaited part 4 is here!!!!! I'm so thankful this little series has been received so well ❤️ Thank you for the love and feedback. I tried tagging everyone who asked, but I might have missed a few. I'm new to taglists, so I apologise. Anyway, here's sweet siren!Eddie. [2.9k words]

The walk back to your side of town was uneventful compared to the experience in the water, though it was welcome for that very reason. Your open wound was healed, yet the bruises remained and stung with each step, the only proof anything had actually happened at all.

The boy in the water at your beach didn't seem to take your interest anymore, but you gripped a shell tightly in your palm regardless. It seemed stupid now, but maybe giving him a gift before warning him of the creatures in the water was better than running up and screaming in his face.

Did he need warning though? The creature never hurt you, the opposite actually. It healed you! And then... sunk into a ball. You want to believe the creature is harmless but your childhood scoldings would say otherwise. Everything you just did was beyond the rules, beyond your own comprehension. It had to be fake, right? A figment of your imagination after overheating from the walk over. Perhaps you were delusional, losing your mind after all this time.

Why did you stay in the water with that thing so close? Why didn't you run? Are the stories about the creatures luring humans with a song true? You didn't hear any song, nonetheless saw the creature above water. Only the shiny curls of the flowing hair, hair that definitely looked familiar but unplaceable. The fingers that looked so otherworldly but possessed the soft touch of curiosity without fear. A tail that shined with an iridescent rainbow in the sun, but gleamed the brightest blues you've ever seen.

–

Days had gone by without sign of the boy. You haven't stepped a toe in the water, partly due to the anxiety. Convincing yourself it was a trick of the mind was easy, believable. But the soreness and lack of scabbing when you still had dry blood stains on your sandal was harder to explain.

It almost felt lonely for the first time on the beach. Despite no one ever being there prior, the boy seemed to have a lasting effect for the short time he was there. The warm sand wasn't as comforting as before, and the sound of the waves gliding up the shore didn't echo as a calming background soundtrack anymore. It stirred your emotions between sadness and anger. Anger that the town's superstitious ways possibly got to your new friend, sadness that you were now back to being the only person to step foot on the beach.

The anger was taking over, boiling in your veins as you stared out at the vastness of the water. Your brain was done with sensible thoughts, now turning against the water itself. Damn the water for ruining the friendship. Damn the water for being so mysterious that people make up stories just to explain strange occurrences. Damn the water for having so many secrets. Damn the water for scaring everyone away. Damn the water for housing unknown creatures that strike fear and cause harm. Damn the water for hiding whatever or whoever you met that day. Damn the water for not bringing him back.

Before you knew it, your foot was kicking at the incoming waves in frustration. The silliness of the action didn't overshadow how good it felt. You kicked again, relishing in the movement. Like throwing a pebble into a canyon, the action meant nothing, but the movement of your foot meeting the push of water brought a nostalgic feeling. One that reminded you of your small baby feet splashing in a pool, surrounded by family long gone now.

Perhaps this was why you craved the presence of the boy and creature to return. The overwhelming loneliness had gone unnoticed before, but seemed deafening now.

You stepped further in the water, willing for the creature to return. It had to, you needed it to.

He kept his distance for a while. Staring at you on the beach as he sat beneath the shade of the overgrown trees at the very end of the beach. Every bit of him was called to you. His waking thoughts pondered your movements while his dreams centered around you seeing him for the first time without the veil of the water. The dreams would usually involve that sweet voice of your's saying words he recognized but couldn't quite remember the meaning of.

Water droplets danced down his scales as he sat on a long-dead overturned tree, the trunk suspended above the waterline with the roots on land and the branches in the water. He was hidden enough under the canopy of leaves on the surrounding trees. Far enough away to blend in with the plants and water, but close enough to keep a curious eye. You spent almost everyday staring out at the water, glancing back at the entrance to the beach, sighing when neither gave you what you yearned for.

When the anger finally came to a head, you ran to the water, kicking it with a force he had never seen from you. It would have been humorous had it not tugged at his heart. He wanted to swim into your arms and assure you it would be okay, whatever it was you were upset about. Part of him believed it was because you wanted to see him again. He wanted that desperately to be true. With each kick you gave to the water, he felt the same emotion toward land.

Damn the land for hiding you for so long.

You walked further in the water, head held high and palms open at your sides. It felt like a welcome. A calling to him. Despite his earlier hesitations, he hopped off the tree and into the water. The sound of splashing alerted you to him, and though he was still a distance away, you flinched back. He continued on slowly toward you, his head nose-up above water. His eyes were trained on you, waiting for you to give any sign you would run, but as he grew closer your body relaxed. It was as if you were waiting for him all this time, like his hopes were true. Each inch closer, he could visibly see the tension in your muscles dissipating.

You stood in the shallow water waiting, the waves only coming up to your knees. He knew you hadn't seen his full face, and he wanted to change that, but he also knew to take it slow. This was new for him, as much as it was for you. His anxieties over losing you due to his non-human features crept under his skin, tingling at the back of his skull. He stopped deep enough in the water to sit comfortably with his tail tucked under him, his back hunched over so he could keep half his face under the water. It was your turn in this dance now. And he hoped with everything you would make the move.

Your legs felt like jello as they sludged through the water toward the boy. He didn't flinch as you drew near, a good sign. You paused two feet in front of him, taking in the visuals he allowed you to have. His soft eyes, the bridge of his nose, the curves of his cheekbones, his hair. The same hair you saw underwater on the other beach. Was he... Has the creature and the boy been the same person this whole time?

You held out your hand, the nerves raging under your skin prevalent in the unsteadiness of your arm. His brow knitted, eyes glancing between your face and outstretched hand, until he finally understood. His long nails appeared like razors rising out of the water, followed by his webbed fingers. His palm met yours delicately. You stared for a while at his hand, and he at yours. The difference in texture, colors, temperature. It was invigorating.

After a moment, you enclosed your hand around his, giving it a small shake. "Nice to finally meet you." His brow furrowed again before repeating your movement, his eyes focused on your joined hands. You smiled down at him as you released your grasp. His hand slid back underwater but your's remained outstretched. You can't officially meet until you see his face. You needed to know what he looked like, to put a full face to this creature haunting your thoughts.

Your hand slowly moved toward him, dipping underwater to find his chin. You waited a moment, in case he wasn't ready. But he straightened his back, his full face appearing from the water. The gills on the side of his neck wiggled as he breathed in the air. He was beautiful.

His pale neck led down to thin shoulders, slender collar bones jutting out at sharp angles. His skin had a bluish hue in the sunlight, an almost ghostly cast. A drawing on his upper chest caught your eye. A tattoo?

He looked up at you with wide eyes, waiting. Your hand remained on his chin as you bent down on one knee to get a closer look at him, the cool water seeping into your shorts causing a shiver to run through you, or was it him? Your eyes meeting this close felt right, like this was meant to happen. You turned his chin to the right so you could investigate his gills, now unmoving above water. Your other hand reached out and lightly grazed them causing him to flinch away with a smile. Did that tickle him?

Your hands on him rose his body temperature greatly, he almost felt like he was on fire. The flames eating him from the very tip of his tail, scorching him up to the placement of your fingertips on his chin. This felt so right, it was almost unbelievable his people kept him from this experience for so long.

After you explored his gills, he grabbed your chin and looked at your neck as you did to him earlier. He admired the veins running underneath the skin, the lines of blue and purple just underneath. The pulsing of your blood moving there. Your skin so smooth and soft, the lines and bends of your neck leading down to your collarbones. He brushed his palms down the curve of your shoulders and on the sides of your arms. You played with a curl of his hair.

You looked at him with such softness, he could never understand the need to hide from you. Years he had been alone, when you were right there on land. All this time a human with no ill will toward him. Damn, damn the land.

His patience never wavered as you examined his tail, playing with the scales, brushing the tailfin with amazement. Each touch caused a reaction from him, a preen almost. He would smile back at you with tight lips, but you didn't want to push his limits.

"Can you talk?" He stared back at you, unmoving. The blank expression on his face gave his answer. "So that's a no." His soft eyes took in your every movement, watching with curiosity as you tried figuring out next steps.

A sharp stab from your pocket hit you as you leaned forward on your knee. You reached in, pulling out the little shell for him. He gasped, finally opening his mouth to reveal his sharp teeth. Two rows of needles lined behind his lips. Lips that curled into the sweetest smile when he gently took the shell from your open palm. Though his teeth were unnerving, his giddiness at your gift made you smile back. He examined the shell closely, despite it only being an inch and a half big. He looked at it like it was the greatest gift he's ever been given.

His brain was going miles a second, not fully understanding why he felt the need to do it, or what it meant, but he choked out, "t-thank you-u." He realized too late what he had done, using his voice in the presence of a human. His kind only used their voices to lure humans to their ultimate death as a meal. To hypnotize them into a trance unbreakable by anything but the voice. He looked up in fear, only finding you in shock, your mouth hung open with wide eyes to match. You resembled the humans lured into the water when they realized, far too late, their destiny. He'd really done it now, ruining everything. He'd never forgive himself for bringing you harm.

His body temperature began to sink again, the heat leaving his body in shame. He dropped his gaze down to the water sloshing around his torso. He wouldn't know how to break the trance, having never done it himself before. Would you stay like this forever? Would it eventually wear off? Would he have to kill you to break you out it? The thought punched through him, the air feeling heavy in his lungs for the first time since the first moment he ever sucked in a breath of fresh oxygen.

"You can speak!"

He looked back up at you, finding utter joy and excitement on your features. The light in your eyes somehow brighter now, despite the sun not moving. Your happiness was contagious. The smile took over his lips, curling the corners of his mouth into a wide smile.

He had no idea what he said, but you clearly liked it. "Thank you," he repeated, the words foreign on his tongue. He didn't like their taste, but for you he would say them over and over. You practically vibrated at hearing him speak. He repeated the words again until they didn't taste so bad in his mouth.

Your smile fell as he continued repeating his gratitude. This must be the only phrase he knew. Something he picked up from overhearing humans. He could speak, but he didn't know words. The thought of teaching him warmed your heart, but the reality of coming to the beach daily to teach him was laughable. Afterall, you would only be teaching him to benefit you. To talk to you. What about him? He probably had a whole family to get back to. Other creatures waiting for him back in the depths of the water, worrying where he may be. Yet here he was, sitting with you, as he had for many days before (though you didn't know it until now).

The boy, the creature. The same being. It was impossible to believe this was your current situation. Sitting next to a mythical creature, one that not only isn't as dangerous as you've been told your entire life, but has the enthusiastic friendliness of a toddler. His wide eyes continue searching your body for differences. When he finds a freckle, he marvels at it, touching so gently. He attempts to rub it off, his brows knitting when he's unsuccessful. He's adorable, and you want to show him the world!

The world... a beach dropoff away. It's cruel and fearful of anything it doesn't understand. Anyone could look over the dropoff and see a creature caressing your body, thinking you're under the spell and in danger. The truth couldn't be farther from that, but no one would understand.

Regardless of your wishes, a voice shouts from the shore, "WHAT IS THAT?" A moment of silence is all you have for the realization to kick in. The shrill of multiple screams and the advancing steps through water as the townsfolk rush to 'save' you drown out your voice as you whisper to him, "I'm sorry."

He's wide-eyed, confused whether to protect you from your own kind, or let you go. Protecting you meant killing humans. He's never done that before. Though, he absolutely would if it meant keeping you safe.

But you stand, rushing toward the oncoming crowd as an attempt to cut the humans off from getting too close to him. Two large men sneak past you and head right toward him. He knows this is goodbye forever as he glances back at you. The final visual he'll have of you, holding your arms out in front of you as the other humans are shouting in your face, surrounding you, grabbing you. They pull you away, but you look back for him.

Your eyes meet, if only for a moment. The only thing he sees on your face is complete fear and as he ducks underwater to swim away, he knows why. One hand grips the edge of his tailfin so harshly, he's sure it's ripped. Another hand finds his arm as he fights against the restraints. Each strong whip of his tail rips the fin further sending shocks of pain and adrenaline through him. He can hear you screaming. Your cries sound pained, scared.

The water continues splashing as he fights for his freedom. He catches a glimpse of the shore, it's closer now. He's being dragged to it one step at a time. A crowd of humans has gathered at the edge of the water, their scent overwhelming. He thinks he can smell blood. Waves splash around him in crimson, his fin bleeding into the water. His head is full of energy– swim away, eat, scared, hungry, pain. You.

He catches sight of you, held back by other humans. You're not safe, fighting to reach him as multiple arms slide around your body as a barrier. Tears roll down your cheeks as you scream for him to be set free. Tears mean pain, and that's the last thing he ever wants you to feel.

His pupils grow dark, swallowing his iris. He's nearly to land now, and these humans look like a buffet.

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[birdies-aus]

Okie dokie sending it here because idk why I'm nervous I just is lol but okay okay

Hot nights and Wally a walking furnace and Kori and alien I headcanon also overheats hence her outfits showing a bit more skin, and in the middle poor Dick is suffering but will not leave Bec he literally can't Wally is a octopus of a cuddler in his sleep he's trapped lol

Catboy Dickie Bec like, it so cute and Kori being a cat girl both just ugh!! So the braiding each other hair and adding bells and bows and Wally feeling left out being so sad so they do it to him.

Yuri times, cute little picnic dates??? In cute dresses??? And they're having fun??? Pog

Butch Kori and femme fem Dick, idk what to do more than I like it, and vise versa too if you enjoy differents

Only au of mine I'll add is Mei Dick and Kori are besties in it and still talk after Dick sold his soul to Lucifer, they still have frequent hangouts in a field of flowers even tho it doesn't exist anymore on earth, that's not a prompt tho just thought I tell ya because I'm rambling ahhhhhh

Protect the bird ^

And one angst prompt that been a fic in the making,,, Wally coming back from the mind trip of the speed force having to tell himself he's still here, and when the panic attack is coming on he called Dick to talk but.... He's off planet and he's about to lose it needing to talk to someone to tell him he's not on the speed force this ain't a trick.

And last idea, this is an au of mine but works with vampire king or reg vampire, Dick refusing to drink blood because he doesn't want to hurt his love ones but his two favorite gingers are trying to make him drink something because he needs to feed!!!

Okie dokie I go idk why I was nervous idk brain is being weird but uh yeah

Have a cookie 🍪 for putting up with this lol

out of all of these ideas my hands have given u butch4femme yuri dickkori doodle sluggy.. i used my friends ipad 4 this and on a sidenote i rlly hate using procreate lol

ANYWYAS ON TO THE ITHER THINGS YOUVE DROPPED FOR ME (i might doodle things 4 u more later just god my hands have not been working recently lol)

ill do a read more so i dont annoy anyone with long posts

i lobe the idea of both wally and kori running warm which is really nice for dick who gets cold easily- unless its in the summer somewhere where it gets like 100° but he still would never give up being able to cuddle his favorite people no matter how warm it gets trust trust meeee

Wally just pouts at catboy n catgirl dick n kori n then hes pulled into thwir little self care pile and he gets a little make over two- WHICH THE AFTER MATH WILL DEFINITELY BE SOMETHING I DRAW ACTUALLYYYYTT that sounds so cuute itll be its own post ill tag u in tho

okok but like my yuri cowgirl au but kori kidnaps her girls sometimes to take them out on a picnic date outside of town n sometimes it turns into a little-

williows never to be trusted with horse riding/steering bc she trues to go as fast as possible (without hurtting or straining the horse ofc) btw

Its a very common sight to see kori or willow dragging robin somewhere after catching her in rope btw its do silly in my head- its how they make sure shes taking care of herself and not getting caught up in mystery shenanigans

Aahhh kori n dick in ur mei au making flowercrowns togetherr hehe

kori n wally being over protective over their favorite birdd ♡♡♡♡

CRYINNGGF AT U FOR THE ANGST yk dick would panic when he gets home and hears a worrying voicemail from wallyyyyy sluggy pleaseee

ALSOOOO thats my favorite trooe in vampires but BUT ALAOSOOOO if wallys still a speedster hes like the best canidate for dick to drink blood from bc the guy would be able to replenish his blood quicker than a normal human meaning dick would be ablw to actually be full sometimes which would be very niceeeee-

[stars-n-spice]

Silly Squad Alignment Charts

Because I thought it would be fun and silly :)

Find out more about the Silly Squad here!

Of course, have to start with the classic:

Hunter will say they have food at home and it's literally like probably two slices of bread, a bottle of ketchup, and a head of lettuce

Viram KNOWS how to cook so you best be happy to eat her food instead of having Mcdonalds

Khea and Echo it depends on their mood whether they pull up and order a single black coffee before leaving (Echo would never do it if Omega is in the car)

Crosshair doesn't even like their coffee but he does it to be a little shit

Feel like Tech is also kinda in the middle because he'll be like "Technically we have food at home-" but he also needs his caffeine

Phee will ALWAYS pull up to the Mcdonalds, especially when Omega's with her. Then Omega always holds it over Hunter- "Well, PHEE takes ME to Mcdonalds!"

Tay is the definition of a bastard (no seriously)

Phee is bastard (affectionate) but would technically be more of "Badass" than anything

Khea, Crosshair, and Tech are the Bitch Trio and if you put them in a room together they WILL tear each other apart (emotionally most likely but Tech will goad Crosshair and Khea into physically fighting each other while he records)

Majority of the squad is Babey though

Echo is also "Bad Ass" but he could also be a Bitch if he wanted

Hunter is Bastard just because I think it's funny

Dumb Bitch Hunter my beloved <3

Echo is sad dick because he has no dick

I use dumb affectionately with Wrecker (not with Hunter and Tay)

Tech just has big dick energy to me idk

Khea's a sad hoe but she'll never admit to it (the being sad part)

If you've noticed, I really like making fun of Hunter that's why he's there in the dumbass squared category

Wrecker, Khea, and Phee are all smart as fuck but have more fun pretending that they aren't really

Tay is good at pretending that he is smart - he is not

Then of course, Tech, Cross, and Echo are all smartasses

This fit so perfectly I was dying

Hunter is laughing nervously because he's aroace lmao

Omega would be like "Thanks! :D" and just carry on

Jung would most likely do *thumbs up* instead of finger guns though

When you pair up the couples, it's funnier

If Tay said "I know" after Cross told him that he loved him, Crosshair would dump him on the spot

Khea tells Wrecker she loves him for the first time and he short circuits and probably would say something along the lines of "YEET!"

Viram and Echo both have issues and would not be able to comprehend why someone would love them - I'm sure Echo's got insecurities and Viram knows she's a workaholic and therefore difficult to be in a relationship so she apologies in advance

If Phee told Tech she loved him and he went "a horrible decision, really" she'd probably laugh

And of course, who doesn't love Phee? If you don't, get out of here.

Crosshair could care less, he ain't dealing with that shit

Tech would say this ominously as if he's seen the future and knows your death is imminent meanwhile Khea's is more of a - "you probably will because everyone close to me has already died" sort of way :/

I feel like Omega might also be "i'd die for you first" too

Hunter, Viram, and Echo don't want to deal with that shit either, they've already got so much loss, guilt, and other things on their plate

Tay's probably not listening when someone tells him they'd die for him while Phee's like, "Oh, neat. Anyways, as I was saying about my last adventure-"

Jung is ready and willing to put his life on the line and Wrecker would probably more like a "Nu uh" because he's got your back and would look out for you

Phee will also do it for some credits or a cool treasure

Tay is going to fight god (and he's going to lose)

Tech could do so much more than take down the government, but he needs incentives (him and Phee can take down the government together <3)

Khea is a bounty hunter, her job literally requires her to stab people sometimes in order for her to get money

Crosshair would stab without anyone needing to ask him

Echo's taking down the government no matter what, but especially if Rex asks him to come along

Jung is going to fight god if you ask them to (and he'll win)

Viram is the type of friend who is an excellent tutor and you end up understanding the concept after getting her help meanwhile Omega will explain what she knows and then the homework becomes a group project of figuring out what the fuck it's asking

You can copy Hunter's homework but there is no guarantee that the answers are right (most of them are wrong)

You can copy Jung's homework and there's a high chance the answers are right

Khea had better things to do than homework - like get frustrated over it and cry for a bit before giving up on it

Phee did some of the homework but she'll only help you out if you give her something in exchange

Wrecker and Tay, beloved himbos, they had no idea and even if they did do the homework, you wouldn't want to copy off of them

Crosshair also didn't do the homework but he also doesn't want to respond

Tech and Echo both did the homework and it's correct but they don't tolerate copying work to even have suggested it is offensive so now you're left on read

[otakween]

Digimon Data Squad (Savers) - Episode 8

Ugh, this episode left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm sick of the female Digimon leads being snubbed in their own episodes! I was happy that they were giving Yoshino some time to shine, but she didn't even get to participate in the battle? Shounen anime do this way too often and it's so insulting honestly.

Notes:

The animation quality was pretty low this time. Lots of off model moments, especially for the ladies :/

I'm only now noticing that Yoshino is literally the only one wearing pink (basically the same uniform as the other girls otherwise). I guess it's just to give her main character energy, but it's kinda weird lol

There's been a lot of girls gushing over guys this season...can they do something else please? Being boy crazy is okay, but showing it over and over again isn't exactly mind-blowing character writing...

I love Keramon's "deranged puppet" design. I wouldn't mind having one as my partner

I pointed out in a previous post that they weren't introducing the digimon via narrator, but then they started doing it? (They did it last episode with BomberNanimon too). I'm glad but it's kinda weird that they were like "oh yeah, that's a thing we do..." lol

Laughing at the villain's stupid plan. We all learned from U2 that forcing your music down people's throats never ends well (neither does scamming the charts). Masaru pointed out how dumb he was being at least.

Masaru casually assaulting a cop >_> (Did they wipe his memory after that?)

Funny how in the dub they censor punches by showing the punch itself but not the impact. How is that better exactly? So silly. Reminds me of when they censor the "mother" in "motherfucker" haha

It was hard to really feel that sad for Yoshino losing her friendship with Neon since he was such a dick. Even though I was annoyed she got left out of the fight, the reasoning (emotionally compromised) made sense at least.

I feel like we're about ready for the next digivolution soon. Either that or a big bad reveal. Let's see what we get...

[barrenclan]

I think Time Deer by Bent Knee fits Rainhaze

Any song that calls someone a dog is pretty good for Mr. Haze.

"Oh, nasty dog You are choking on a cog in my time machine Drag you along to the times from which you run So you can see what I see"

"I was string thin, barren and scrambling for food My people exiled, subhuman and crude <- hello. literally barrenclan They took my lover and library too War left me vagrant with nothing to lose"

Oh my God, thank you for blasting me back in time with this. I watched the Flowey animatic with this song about a million times when I was deep in my Undertale phase. Also, yes, Rainhaze as hell, I could literally put every lyric here and they'd fit for him.

"They're-they're these terrors And it's like, it feels like as if somebody was gripping my throat and squeezing and It's like as if somebody was gripping my throat"

"Don't you breathe for me Undeserving of your sympathy 'Cause there ain't no way that I'm sorry for what I did"

"A drink for the horror that I'm in For the good guys and the bad guys For the monsters that I've been Three cheers for tyranny Unapologetic apathy 'Cause there ain't no way that I'm coming back again"

"Sometimes I see flames And sometimes I see people that I love dying"

"And through it all How could you cry for me? 'Cause I don't feel bad about it So shut your eyes Kiss me goodbye And sleep"

It's definitely softer than I think of music for them, but those lyrics are pretty good. It's almost making me think more of Rainhaze talking to Slugpelt!

"Hey Bunny What if I lose you too If I become the monster Together we can always be blue"

"Hey Bunny Is that your name again It's making me laugh 'cause we used to be friends Hey bunny Am I talking in the mirror I only see myself as what we were"

I don't think so! I like it.

"I hate my work But I'm in control I'm fearless now But it cost my soul"

"It's alright to scream I'm screaming too Why'd you think I do the things I do? For shadows haunted me like ghosts So I became what I feared the most" <- Aw yeah

Okay real about the energy level, I feel that so hard. It would make a cool PMV though!

"He could never stand up 'Til he had to run Finger on the trigger Of an empty gun" <- Verse 1

"Well, she was on an upswing In the spring of life Dancing on a tight rope 'Til he brought the knife" <- Verse 2

I mean, if this whole post doesn't prove that Rainhaze is fantastic to staple music to his forehead, this should.

What a pretty song! Yes, definitely a great song for the overall story.

"I hear it calling/Deep down in my dreams/The wind is blowing/Something lost in me"

"There's nothing else to do/There's nowhere else to go/There's nothing else to live for, anymore"

It's on the playlist, in fact!

Oh I know this song! I used it in a speedpaint once. Ah, a particular context makes it very sad for me with Rainhaze.

"Save yourself I am far beyond repair They will bury me alive But I'm not inclined to care I am too far gone now, oh ohoho"

"Forget the man I used to be You'll move along more easily"

Silly, trying to slip another FNAF fansong past me. It can definitely work for Rainhaze, even if I can't listen to the whispering (I don't like ASMR).

[homestuckreplay]

The Time Traveler's Can Opener

(page 498-509)

8/18/2009 Wheel Spin: Character Switch Verdict: Oops, All John!

8/19/2009 Wheel Spin: being silly :3c Verdict: CORRECT (Gamer Refrigerator!)

500 pages!! I can't believe how fast these numbers are going up, I'm learning that most webcomics cap at one page a day at most, so feel genuinely lucky to get all this.

I thought John was going to get a Badass Moment where he totally owned those imps in the living room, but he totally biffed it :( but if he'd won against so many enemies so soon, the victory might have felt unearned. I am really noticing the improvement in Rose and John's Sburb abilities - their teamwork in these pages is so good, with John absconding to the study and then Rose sliding the refrigerator into the cranny so the imps can't follow. Rose has great instincts here and is in such a stressful situation herself that I can't help but give her props for her work here.

I do think dropping the safe from so high was overkill, and that destroying John's house is literally the opposite of her job right now. I also think that if the refrigerator gets one more kill it will probably out-level John and therefore take over as both the client player and the main character of our story. So the two of them both have things they still need to work on, but, reading this gives the real sense that they're making progress, and that gives the story a nice momentum.

I also LOVE how the imps, collectively, have a lot of personality. Real video games can often struggle with this, where low level enemies are mindless things to kill that leave no actual impression, but Sburb has really cracked it. The gag where the imps will replace their jester hats with any other hat or hat like object is very entertaining to me, and the fact that they're really invested in the pogo ride for some reason is curious. Most likely they just think it's fun to play with, but I like to imagine that Slimer from Ghostbusters is a god in their society.

I've been thinking recently about what wikipedia terms the 'sad clown paradox,' where comedians have an above average chance of struggling with issues like depression. It's really easy to read John and his prankster's gambit through this lens, but part of me wants to read John's whole house through the lens. From its multiple generations of inhabitants to its decor to its new invasive species, it feels like the essence of the clown is infused throughout this ultimately sad and lonely house.

Under the safe in John's dad's study is a captchalogue card and a note taped to the wall. Inside the safe is another, scuffed up copy of Colonel Sassacre, along with some old papers and an unidentified grey object in the back. I don't know what I expected to be in here, either money or an authentic Joseph Grimaldi jacket, but it seems like the Sassacre book is a really important heirloom that each person in the Egbert family gets to own. I'll probably speculate some more on why Dad wants to save these items specifically once we've seen the papers.

From the antiquated politeness of the new commands, I figured the Wayward Vagabond had read the human etiquette book, but I did not know they'd eaten it. It seems counterproductive to eat information that might be helpful. Unless that's how their species learns and retains things, in which case, great work and it's clearly paying off. Kind of sucks how the author of the etiquette book is British though.

Even now the Vagabond is being polite, it seems really dangerous to have these commands coming to John from an outsider, given how he loses all awareness of his surroundings when he's being commanded like this. But given the logo on the outside, the computer and bunker the Vagabond inhabits were built by someone, for some intended function. So what's the deal? Is the system of giving commands built into Sburb or not? Is there somebody else more competent who is intended to use this command panel, and the Vagabond has stolen their place somehow? Does Sburb really feel like it needs to mind control its players directly? Is the game going to get so difficult and complicated that this is the only way to win? The Vagabond doesn't seem like they have a goal with John beyond obtaining a can opener, but what will happen if whoever's supposed to be using this computer shows up?

[deafsignifcantother]

if music be the food of love chapter 12

♥ here you go lovies, it’s series time | chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, chapter four, chapter five, chapter six, chapter seven, chapter eight, chapter nine, chapter ten, chapter eleven, chapter eleven point five

♥ summary: you and alastor finally stop arguing and then are caught in a very compromising position that is not at all misunderstood LOLLL sorry nsfw (not really) in this chapter but it's nothing crazy

♥ relationships: aroace Alastor x deaf female reader (now purely romance)

♥ word count: 3.1k

♥ pinterest board ' it has outfit inspo in it now

♥ notes: okay so this chapter contains dry humping that lasts for literally like 5 seconds i couldn't help myself. they're fully clothed and it's just looming intimacy that they're finally delving into in a way to forgive each other. also battle is next chapter.

♥ notes prt. 2: i wanted to add this to notes actually but i hope some people have realized that alastor is like basically doing nothing wrong and reader is the self sabotaging one starting all the arguments LMFAO

♥ tags for this: @1crazychick369

The dream you've spent decades trying to wake up from. has now become a nightmare. You were completely fine with the solitude of your rather comfortable cabin, and now you are involved with a war—a monster, a man who you could easily swallow whole but you love too much to do so. Stuck, you're stuck. 'Pardon my recklessness, I'm afraid I must go', if only words like that could save you. Yet there has been some serious changes in poetic fashion.

Silly girl. Silly, silly girl.

Between you and Alastor, some forms of affections fell out of favor—touching hands, dressing each other, and natural glances. All you could do is hoard plastic water bottles in your room to avoid going downstairs. A lot of things about Alastor changed, but there is one specific thing that makes your head spin. Your music has an effect on him.

"Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love to show," Alastor reads to you, hands soft. "That the dear She might take some pleasure of my pain."

It all comes off so dramatic, but you know what he's trying to do. He hates it when you're sad, or even 'generally displeased'. And so by placing a fireplace in your room (and a trashcan), he sits on the rough carpet and reads to you, book on the floor, signing as if he's casting a spell. In his own room, old literature lines the shelves that grimoires once took. He is vile, yes, and there is no but. So, however, he finds it within himself to find a way to connect to you, as with his heart is simply not working.

"Pleasure might cause her to read, reading might make her know, knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain, I sought—"

Your hands touch his elbows. His eyes lose their concentration and his brows, once angled down, raise with interest. He stares at you with lidded eyes.

"I already know this one," you sign, crossing your legs next to him. He can't help but think of the contemporary seating.

"You're stopping me, cher?"

You thin your lips while he smiles. Dare he always make things into arguments. Or are you raising to easy frustration?

"Yes. You told me you didn't like these sonnets before."

"Well, I happen to love these sonnets. Funny how that is?"

His snarky smile reminds you of it. You read the poem to him back when you both weren't even comfortable enough to sit shoulder to shoulder, back before he let his bowtie ever be seen crooked. He stopped you too early for your liking. Not at first sight, nor with a dribbèd shot. Love gave me a wound, which while I breathe will— 'that's enough, dear.' 'that's alright Alastor.' And you didn't continue.

"You don't."

He squares his shoulders and tilts his head back down. "Oh, this line is marvelous. "Fool," said my Muse to me."

With an audacity only a lover could have, you grab his chin with your fingers. The words you sign come straight from t hose modern romances you've never finished, bookmark left on the table. "You're hurting yourself." So stop, you want to add, but aggression would make things worse. From your tight grasp, he can't move away.

He lets you grasp him, and you think his patience isn't going to last much longer. If you weren't holding him you would never be able to notice the way he slightly leans in. When the stare becomes too much, and he shows no sign of responding, you glance away, and when your hand tries to mimic the movement, Alastor catches your wrist. The look on his face doesn't change.

You huff. "I can tell, scarely. Tell me your thoughts, Alastor, your beliefs."

Intentions. You can read his but he can't always tell yours. So then, with only two words, you've chosen the wrong intention to indicate. He wouldn't be able to explain to anyone why so, but those words... ached. What did you mean?

His finger cinch into your radius before loosening. His glare causes your chest to burn, and your throat burns as if you're breaking smoke, like the fireplace will smother you both in ashes and embers.

"I believe you'll be okay. You're scared." His fingers dig in. "I can feel your heart. Are you scared of me, cher?"

He's already asked that question.

"No," you shake your head and it ends in a tilt. "Are you scared?"

His touch, warm around you, maneuvers your fingers to his neck. Without a hint of defiance, you squeeze the second joint of your thumb to the side of his jugular. His eyes never leave your stereo. Once your fingerprint meets his pulse, he can hear the faint sound coming from your own heart, as he likes to think of it.

He drops his hand and you drop yours. Ruby tinted eyes flicker to your weakened ones, thunder practically booms through the air. Can the rest of the hotel hear it? You give him a slowed blink.

He interrupts your palpable emotional missteps by exhibiting a round of frenzied movements—body pouncing, one hand on your shoulder and the other behind your head, knees cracking against the carpet, the dank of his forehead against yours.

He blabbers under his breathe, the air hitting your lips. He's speaking. You don't understand why he's speaking, and he won't remove his forehead from yours. Your body is bound, comfortably, and you take the affection for what it is. Your eyes flicker close, drowning in rose and warmth. Your fingertips twitch, urging you to wrap yourself around him. He's still blabbering, mouth still pacing. It takes you a second to process that knees are caging you in.

[suggestive starts]

"Alastor, what are you doing?" You can only hope your voice is steady. The balls of your hands slide up his lapels until they're high enough to grip his shoulders, the touch far more sensual than conscious, and it even stuns Alastor into a forbidden purr.

In the sickening sense of the truth, he approached your room after Angel asked if you wanted breakfast, but he entered your room with the purpose of taking up however much time you'll give him. The war is ahead. He'll share these moments with you until the time for you to stuck it up comes.

A small gasp leaves you when he adjusts himself so one leg hands between your knees, inching you open to give him more room. You widen your eyes, his lightning stare never having left. His body, the heat you feel is so human. It's as if you could see him clearly—the red replaced by brown neutrals. In a safer world, all the black clothing in your wardrobe and on your body would be shades of royal blue... of pink water.

The hand you didn't even notice that was resting on your hip finds riger anew, lifting up the muscle into a bent position, your foot far from the floor. His other hand, once softly positioned behind your head, grips your neck like one would a kitten. A single kiss would solidify the position, but he doesn't give it. No matter the amount he moves his body, his brow bone remains pressed against yours.

The noise you let out when he wraps your calve around his waist is intoxicating. His bangs, each individual strand, cross over your face while he relents the closeness to dig the bridge of his nose into the curve of your shoulder. He swallows the groan that formed in the back of his throat. What is he even doing? He's lost himself. Sand through the hourglass.

Fumes, firecrackers, a fucking missile bursts the second his hips twitch, the jolt angled to ignore your horizontal leg. His grip on your nape tightens and his free hands rip seams on the carpet. His head whips up so fast it hurts his neck.

For a few pausing moments, you stare agape at each other. Why are we doing this again?

Right, you two were bickering again, from a poem, a poem from when you both were more hesitant, and he came up here because of Angel, because you've been dwelling alone, because Alastor wanted a reason to see you, because he missed you, because you've been... what? Miserable? No, hesitant. Hesitant because you know you're not a fighter anymore, because you're scared. Scared, why? Yes, it's simple. You and Alastor are clinging to each other like teenagers in the honeymoon phase because of the war. He must be scared too, else brainwashed. Why else would he be so evidently exhilarated, lost in his own mind to even put an effort into helping you understand his motivations.

Another twice, beyond involuntary. Brainwashed, you decide. And when he does it again, much closer, slower, movement circular, the most feminine gasp comes from your lips. Suddenly his ears twitch, and on instinct you reach up and stroke its base. The furs are a lot softer than you remember. He flicks his head away but you follow.

Four things happen at once.

He flicks his hips, the movement causing you to bounce, the points on his pelvic bones etching into the meat of your thigh. You can feel the momentum up to your stomach.

You let out the loudest pleasure-filled yelp he's had the wish to hear. He knits his browns, a paper thin line forming between the smallest hairs, it's devastating how, to put it simply, hard the sound made him.

The fire place booms with life, granting the room with a new glow, prickling every inch of exposed skin. Flames of green give vibrant colors that swirl your visions.

Someone opens the door. It's slow, always is whenever someone opens your door, it's a replacement for knocking. The unwelcome guest captures a vision that only a madman, or a sadistic pervert, could conjure. The beautifully artistic colors of green and red barely distract from the forefront. The third pair of eyes makes you and Alastor hyperaware of how close you ended up.

One of your knees is suspended, your ankle just barely interlocked around his hip. Somewhere in the happenings your dress was pushed to just your upper thighs. One of your hands is on his head while the other is perched on his bicep.

[suggestive ends]

At the impeachment, Alastor tenses, face dipping into your neck. Before the intruder could finish the crude sentence, Holy Smokes what the fuck, Alastor pulled his hand from you and gestured the door closed so hard the vibrations must have riddled the entire hotel.

.

By dinner, Angels nose has stopped bleeding, but the mental scarring wasn't healed. You came down just to be social, you feared you owe it to him. Yet you are torn between staring at him or avoiding his eyes. In the most professional manner, you maintain your usual jests and calm smiles. Charlie was an easy distraction within itself, she is happy to see you 'out and about'.

"How are you holding up, doll?" Husk signs, no drink in his hand, movements full of life. He sits next to you on the couch, appreciative that Alastor hasn't made any signs of showing up. Even more when a few seconds ago Husk looked at you with concern and you gave him a sly smile and the shake of your head. It read an easy: Alastor is not going to be here tonight.

"Things will be fine," you sign. "Oxygen feels short but..."

"Yeah," he signs blandly. "I get that."

Angel, uncharacteristically quiet, swipes through his phone, chewing on a popsicle stick and slurping up the remaining juices. He makes a huffing noise that Husk ignores.

"If you ever need to uhh," Husk squints to think. "Talk to someone, I'm here."

Your breathing is much louder than you realize. "That's good."

Your eyes flicker to Angel, who is heavily distracted, so you take that as a chance to lean in. Your signs are girlish but your expression is intense. "Did he tell you about Alastor?"

Husk grimaces and for a second you can't tell if it's because the answer is yes or if it was merely the namedrop. But his stiff nod gives you is a hard read.

"Oh, it was crazy!" Angels loud signs capture Husks attention. You give him a hard, sheepish smile. He still continues. "Oh man, never in my afterlife did I think I'd bare witness to that shitshow!"

"What shitshow? What happened?" Charlie's wide, curious eyes peak from around the corner. There you go Angel, signing for the whole ground floor to see. Plus, shitshow? Hardly. It mustn't have been that damning. Just an... interaction between adults. At least you weren't undressed.

"Oh man!"—

"Stop, stop, stop." You slam your hands together. "Blabber mouth."

"Yeah," Husk signs at the same time. "You'll traumatize her."

"Was it scary? Are we telling horror stories?" Charlie walks fast and immediately plops down by Angel.

"Yes we are!" He hollers.

"At least wait until I'm not here!" You beg. And dinner was so normal, everyone was lively, Angel was quiet.

"It's even better if you're here! Charlie, listen to this. So, she's always in her room, right?" (Charlie interjects with her own 'yes, sadly so') "And I can't knock on the door because really, and you know how we ALL," his wide points are practically a pregnant pause, "open the door, SLOWLY!"

Charlie gives a frightened blink, and her ditziness doesn't put her past adult topics, she looks at you with wide eyes. She leans forward. "Is that true?"

"Heavens no! Nothing of the sorts! It was indeed promiscuous but it was not..."

"Promiscuous indeed!"

Husk groans. "I do not need to hear about it from the source."

"I'm so happy for you!" Charlie beams. Her arms fly up with enthusiasm before hugging herself.

"Yeah, my too," Angel whistles, "Do you know about how many people would pay to be in that position?"

You blink away the memories of the Cannibal Town stroll. "Well aware. Regardless, he is going to kill you now."

Husk smiles. "I'm surprised he hasn't already."

"Enjoy your last days. Hours even, perhaps even minutes."

"No, don't say that!" Charlie is practically flailing. "Sure Alastor may be a little 'eeeeeehhh' but I'm sure you'll be finnee!"

You interlock your fingers over your stomach, ending your need to respond. Angel rolls his eyes and smiles out the threats, not a lick of fear in his expression. And there's no looming shadows on the wall. All the licks of darkness are scrambling in the radio tower above, bouncing off the feeble walls, ready to birth and destroy all of Hell.

.

Sighing, and sadly sitting by my love,

He asked the cause of my heart's sorrowing,

Conjuring me by heaven's eternal king

To tell the cause which me so much did move.

Compelled, to thee will I confess

Love is the cause, and only love it is

That doth deprive me of my heavenly bliss;

Love is the pain that doth my heart oppress.

And what is she whom thou dost love?

Look in this glass, there shalt thou see

The perfect form of my felicity.

When, thinking that it would strange magic prove,

He opened it: and taking off the cover,

He straight perceived himself to be my lover.

.

"You shouldn't wear a dress," Vaggie signs. You lift your head, closing your eyes for a small debrief before looking back at her.

"I do not own pants."

"It'll be hard for movement, you need flexibility during a battle. At least find something above your knees."

You huff, clicking your heels together. Flats, it was the most you could do to prepare for the battle. You looked away from all of the heels you own and tried to at least find something that could help you run.

Vaggie continues through your stubborn silence, "Ask Alastor or something."

"Alastor? You're—?"

Charlie waves her hands, her red figure prominent in the darker lobby walls. She raises her hands in an innocent wave before her eyebrows furrow. "Woah, your face looks scary, did something happen?"

You blink at her. Your first instinct is to leave it alone, but with all of the kindness the princess has shown you, just bow your head. "I don't like fighting."

"Oh! Well, maybe, if you'd like, you can uhm, stay inside the hotel in case some exorcists intrude the building!"

The ghost of a hum leaves your lips. You just lift your hands, waving your wrist for a second, which the two assume is you collecting your words. "I'll ask."

Charlie hides her wince. But in a rare sense of sympathy, Vaggie is the one to respond. "Thank you for staying. It's really important to Charlie, to all of us."

Too quick to hide it, your eyes gloss over with disinterest. Everybody who has run into you has noticed your off-putting demeanor: low eyebrows, eyebags, downturned lips. The most noticeable feature is how you've removed your speaker.

You're tired of it.

Vaggie was right about many things, though the thing that was a stick in your side at this moment was when Alastor ended up intervening on your outfit choice. In your room (a very tense location), he kept summoning different outfits that you could pull off. You're not changing, you keep pointing out. He just rolls his eyes at you, his smile never faulting.

After almost twenty minutes of arguing, you tried on the pants. It was miserable. They weren't as light and loose as you're used to, considering the undergarments you wear. These are black, close to the skin and thick for protection.

"Armor?" He taps his microphone against your biceps. With pants came a longsleeve, thankfully looser, but despairingly with a deep chest window to show your rather empty crevice.

"Absolutely not."

He just hums, tapping his fingers against his cane, putting in a genuine effort into not glancing at your legs, but the movement of his eyes is not going unnoticed. In a moment of clear mind, you think of the only way to get him to stop, which is to press your front entirely against him. You lean the side of your head against his chest, your hands on either of his lapels.

He pauses, his mind racing back to that moment where he showed the desperation of a man and not the radio demon, which is a memory he repeats over and over in his head. He hasn't the time to dwell on if the memory is a haunting one of one that he wants to burn into his mind. And feeling you this close to him, smooshed up against him once again, gives him the thought to reenact it.

But all he does is wrap his arms around you, staff in one hand, and he hides his soft smile in your hair.

[hauntingofhouses]

Hiii, I've got an ask for you 🫣

What is the most interesting end for Mizu in your opinion and if you could guess, what do you think the writers will do?

1. Doomed by the narrative all the way (her story starts sad and ends in a even bigger inevitable tragedy)

2.She gets what she wants but will never find true happiness (maybe lose someone she loves in the way)

3.Gets what she wants and finds contentment and even happiness.

Secret fourth opition?

Hope you are well😁

Hiiiii <3 <3

OOOH this is an interesting one, and right out the gate I would 100% immediately choose Option 3 here, which is that Mizu gets what she wants and finds happiness and contentment.

Now I am a SUCKER for tragedy and bittersweet endings, they are soooo juicy like don't get me wrong (the novel manuscript I'm working on is literally a doomed-by-the-narrative type story!) but in my opinion, though all stories can be tragedies, not all stories necessarily should be.

This is because a story's ending, and what makes an ending satisfactory, is heavily reliant on the promise that it sets at the very beginning.

A narrative promise is essentially what the story is telling us to expect when we start the first episode or read the first chapter or click the start button on a game. As such, the promise is usually given to us in two primary ways.

First is the story's tone. What sort of language does it use? What sort of art direction does it employ? Its music, its camera angles?

In BES, the story starts off with some dynamic long shots of Mizu walking with her back turned to the camera through the snow, the wind whooshing and dramatic music in the background, while words fade in and out on the screen:

In 1633, Japan closed its borders to the outside world. Citizens would never see a white face, nor any face that was not Japanese. A child born mixed race would be considered less than human. Pitiable. Monstrous. From these times rose a legend. Of a swordsman. Of a sword. Of revenge.

The music ends in an epic crescendo. Cue title screen.

From the above line, we can already see that the tone is that of a dramatic, epic, action-filled story about revenge. From that first scene, we see Mizu's confrontation with Hachi, and from this we already see the promise that this is a heavily-stylised action martial arts series that will be violent and gritty.

On that note, its fight sequences also follow video game logic a lot of times, and overallm a lot of things are not very realistic or necessarily 100% historically-accurate. This, together with a lot of casual dialogue and humour littered throughout, makes it a story that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's rather blockbuster-ish in that sense, and while very well written and rife with beautiful imagery, symbolism, and nuanced characters and themes, it is not intended to be high literary work by any means.

And while Mizu's backstory is indeed very tragic, the story we see in the present is very tonally different, chock-full of one liners and silly lines (thank you, Ringo and Taigen, my silly boys, for that) as well as flashy action scenes and montages set to rock music. The tonal shift between the past and present stories is also in part what makes The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride stand out so prominently among the 8 episodes.

Besides the tone, a story also delivers its the promise through its character arc, which is presented to the audience by showing us a variety of things related to the protagonist, such as:

what the character is missing in their life: for Mizu, it is love and acceptance;

their desires: revenge, because as we see from her backstory, she has been unable to obtain love/acceptance;

what's preventing them from achieving it: Mizu adamantly believes that she is a monster who is not capable of loving or being loved, and this is why she pushes Ringo and Taigen away in present day;

and their flaws: Mizu is stubborn, narrow-minded, and is driven purely by hate and anger. Taigen tells the viewers this very clearly in Ep7 when he says she's killing Fowler "Not for honour. For hate." And also in Ep8 when he says to Ringo, "Mizu doesn't care about anyone but himself and his revenge." Mizu's "ember" is her anger and desire for vengeance.

Thus, from all this, we can come to a conclusion that the show's promise is something along the lines of

Mizu gets her revenge +

Mizu unlearns her self-hatred and stops letting her anger be the only thing guiding her +

Mizu stops running from people who care about her so she can finally get the love and acceptance she's always craved.

IMO, only by fulfilling all three of these promises would the story have a satisfying payoff.

Whether the revenge will be directed to the white men, though, is up for debate, as there are a lot of theories going around that maybe the white men aren't as evil as she thought and none of them are even her fathers, that Mizu's true enemy is Lady Itoh and the shogunate, etc. The third point, regarding love and acceptance, is also a point of discourse, because we don't know who she'll end up with, or if she'll end up with anyone romantically at all, whereby the story opts to make it an open ending focusing on platonic/found-family bonds rather than any romantic one.

Whatever the case, it doesn't necessarily matter, and I'm open to pretty much all directions the writers may take us as long as SOME revenge is achieved, blood is spilled, colonisers get their dues, AND Mizu gets to be loved and happy.

BUT if you ask me for my ideal version of that payoff... I think it's no surprise to anyone when I say I want Mizu to live a nice peaceful and secluded life, in which all her past adventures fade into myth and legend (as implied in the opening text).

Because while I'm almost certain Mizu is related to some royal or important bloodline, I don't think Mizu would find happiness in a life in the palace. She has never wanted greatness, has never even hinted at wanting power or anything like it. She craves belonging and the freedom to be herself, and to be loved for all her flaws and dualities. These are things she needs to grow and be a better person as well. A life of politics and intrigue inherent in being a royal heir, or in being a samurai loyal to the shogunate (even if it is under Akemi's future administration) would offer no such freedom or sense of peace for Mizu.

So yeah! Peace and quiet and happiness, maybe living on a farm like she did with Mikio. But of course that life wouldn't mean anything if she were to live it alone, because remember she wants and needs love and belonging. As such, I think the one most suited to give her that would be Taigen (for a variety of reasons).

This life could be with or without their bestie Ringo, depending on if Ringo decides to travel and find his own greatness, and it is implied that Ringo does leave Mizu's side to go on his own adventures, as hinted by the creators wanting a spin-off centered around him.

And also Mizu and Taigen go to visit their mutual ex-girlfriend Akemi sometimes for like special occasions or something.

I hope that answered your question, and thank you so much for the ask!! <3 <3 And on that note, my inbox is open for more if anyone else would like to pick my brain about this show, or anything else for that matter really. I may take a while to answer them considering how in-depth I like to go on these, but I love getting any and all these asks regardless :)